DeFazio: Tax Failure Would Spell Obama's Doom

President Barack Obama has learned his lines well. He said during the healthcare debate that failure to pass his healthcare reform bill would signal the end of his presidency. And now the president is saying the same thing about the tax deal, according to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., The Hill reports.

"The White House is putting on tremendous pressure, making phone calls, the president is making phone calls saying this is the end of his presidency if he doesn't get this bad deal," DeFazio tells CNN's Eliot Spitzer.

To be sure, the White House denies that claim. "The president hasn’t said anything remotely like that and has never spoken with Mr. DeFazio about the issue," says White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.